Tool-feeding mechanism



Dec. 29., 1925. 1,567,397

w. T. SEARS TOOL FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 23, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmvrax BY a v ATTBRNEY,

Dec. 29-, 1925. W. T. SEARS TOOL FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 23, 1922 4 Sheets-Shet 3 INVENTQR.

ATTBRNEY Dec. 29 1925- V w. T. SEARS TOOL FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Sept 25, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 lllllll mil llll l xxn sl umwuuuuimmnMimilm JIIIIIVIIIIM VIII/I.

mmvran "fanny Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VTILLARD 'r. snares, or raon'rcLAIE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 EILEs-BEMEE'n POND CQMPANY, on NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW JEEsEY.

TOOL-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Application filed September 23, 1922.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD T. SEARS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tool-Feeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to feeding mechanisms and particularly to such a mechanism in combination with a. drilling machine. The invention contemplates an improved feeding combination for drill spindles or the like, including means for varying the feeding speed of the spindle and means for automatically stopping the same after a predetermined feeding movement thereof. It is the primary object of the invention to provide such an improved combination.

ii It is an object of the invention to provide a feeding mechanism of the type defined including a driving mechanism and means ineluding an element for directly disengaging such mechanism by a movement of the element in either direction.

It is an object of the invention to provide a feeding mechanism of the type defined including a double-clutch and means including an element for automatically moving the clutch from either of its driving positions to a neutral position after a predetermined movement of the driven member, the said element being operative to so disengage the clutch by a movement thereof in a single direction.

It is a further object of the invention to provide in the combination defined an inr proved change speed mechanism whereby to feed the drill spindle or the like atdifferent speeds.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the features of construction and operation set forth in the foly lowing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In such drawings annexed hereto and forming a part of this specification, I have shown my invention embodied in a radial drilling machine but it will be understood that the invention can be otherwise embodied and that the drawings are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims appended to this specification being relied upon for that purpose.

Referring to the figures of the drawings:

Serial No. 590,112.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a radial drilling machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the arm and tool support on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken 011 line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken-011 line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Figs. 6 and 7 are a plan and elevation respectively of a portion of the automatic clutch disengaging mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the drill saddle and the drill spindle operating mecha-nism supported thereon.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary front elevation thereof.

The drilling machine illustrated herein is in general like that illustrated in my Patent No. 1,368,294 dated February 15, 1921, the present invention being for certain improvements on such machine.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents the column and 2 the horizontal arm which is vertically adjustable with respect to the column. Extending longitudinally of the arm 2 is a driving member comprising a power shaft 3 mounted in bearings at the ends of the arm. For driving the shaft 3, I have illustrated an electric motor a which is mounted at the rear side of the column. The motor is carried by a connecting piece 5 which extends through the column between the two sections thereof and which also carries the arm 2. The shaft 3 extends through the column and preferably suitable change speed gearing is contained within the casing 6 wherein the speed ratio between the motor shaft and the driving shaft 3 may be varied.

The drill head 7 is supported for angular adjustment on a saddle 8 slidable on the arm 2. The drill spindle 9 mounted in the head 7 is driven from the arm shaft 3 through the bevel gears 10 and 11 on the shaft 3 and spindle 9 respectively, and the intermediate double bevel gear 12. Suitable means is provided for moving the spindle 9 longitudinally to position the drilling tool with respect to the work or to feed it or withdraw it. As illustrated, the spindle 9 is connected at its upper end with a non-rotatable sleeve 13 which is provided with rack teeth 14. The teeth 14 mesh with a pinion 15 which is connected with a bevel gear 16. A bevel pinion 17 is secured to an inclined feed shaft 18 and meshes with the gear 16. 'At the lower end of the shaft 18 is a handle 19 by means of which the shaft can be turned, thus rotating the gears and 16 and raising or lowering the spindle.

In order that the spindle may be moved by power to effect feeding, a bevel gear 20 on a shaft 21 meshes with the bevel gear 11 on the spindle. The change speed gearing 22, to be hereinafter more fully described, connects the shaft 21 with a parallel shaft 23. The shaft 23 carries a worm 24 which meshes with a worm. wheel 25 rotatably mounted on the shaft 18. Associated with the worm wheel 25 is a friction clutch 26, the driven element of which is connected to the shaft 18. The clutch 26 can be engaged or disengaged by moving the handle 19 about a pivotal axis 27. It will be seen that through the change speed gearing 22 and clutch 26, power may be transmitted through the connections described from the gear 20 to slowly rotate the shaft 18. From the shaft 18 longitudinal feeding movement is transmitted to the spindle in a way already described. The rate of feed can be varied through the change speed gearing 22 as hereinafter described.

The change speed mechanism 22 comprises a plurality of different sized gears 28, 29, 36 and 31 loose on the tubular shaft 21 and meshin respectively with gears 32, 33, 34 and 35 on the parallel shaft 23. The gears 28, 29, 30 and 31 are each loose on shaft 21 and the gears 32, 33, 34 and 35 are all connected together and loose as a unit on their shaft 23. A gear 36 loose on the outer end 'of shaft 21 is connected to the adjacent gear 28, integrally or otherwise. A gear 37 loose on the outer end of shaft 23 is in mesh with gear 36. A double clutch 38 splined to shaft 23 may be shifted in either direction to operatively connect either gear 37 or gears 32-35 to s eh shaft.

Any one of gears 28, 29, 30'and 31 may be operatively connected to the shaft 21 by means of a rod 39 slidable within such shaft and carrying keys 40 and 41 for engaging such gears. The rod may be shifted by a yoke 42 mounted on a shaft 43 provided thereon with an operating lever 44 at the front of the head 7. The clutch 38 may be shifted by means of a yoke 45 mounted on a rock shaft provided with an operating lever 47 adjacent the operating lever 44.

The change speed mechanism provides ht speeds, four speeds being with the c? tch en aged with gears and four such clutch engaged with gear 36. With the clutch 33 engaged with gears 32-- 35, it will be seen that the shaft 23 may be dii .lly driven at four speeds by respecthe gears 36 and 31 A 11th the cnach 00 engaged with gear 37, the drive is through gears 36 and and the shaft 23 may likewise be driven at four other speeds by respectively connecting the gears 28, 29, 30 and 31 to their shaft 21. For example, ith the gear 31 connected to the shaft 21 by means of key 41, the drive to shaft 23 will be as follows: shaft 21, gear 31, gear 35, gear 32, gear 28, gear 36, gear 37, clutch 38, shaft 23.

The means for automatically stopping the feeding operation by disengaging the clutch 38 at the end of a predetermined feeding movement of the spindle will now be described. A pin 48 is seated transversely in the clutch shift-ing shaft 46 in such manner that the pin is in a vertical position when the clutch is in a neutral position. A U- shaped element 49 extends about the shaft 46 and is provided with upper and lower slots 50 and 51 for receiving the ends of the pin 48. A rod 52 is connected to the element 49 and extends to a position adjacent the lower end of the feed shaft 18. The free end of the rod is provided with a hook or projection 53 adapted to cooperate with an adjustable dog 54.

The dog 54 is adjustably mounted on a disk 55 by means of a clamping screw 56 having a head engaged in a circular 'T-slot 57 in the disk. This disk is loosely mounted on the shaft 18 and is provided with internal gear teeth 58. A gear 59 on the shaft 18 operates through reduction gearing 60 and 61 to the gear teeth 58 to rotate the disk at a relatively reduced speed. The clamping screw 56 secures the dog 54 non-adjustably to a cover 62 over the disk 55. This cover is provided with a scale 63 cooperating with a pointer 64 on the head whereby the dog may be accurately set to the proper position. It will be understood that in the feeding operation, the dog is adapted to engage the enc 53 of the rod 52 to stop the feeding movement of the spindle.

In operation, the dog 54 is set to a position on the disk corresponding to the depth it is desired to drill, such setting being accurately accomplished by means of the scale 63. The levers 44 and 47 are properly adjusted to give the desired feeding speed. The feed of the spindle is then started by closing the friction clutch 26 by means of the handle 19. The disk 55 with the dog 54 thereon is rotated from the shaft 18 at a reduced speed through gears 59, 60, 61 and 58 as before described. At the end of the desired drilling operation, the dog 54 (having been properly set as before decribed) engages the hook and shifts the rod 52 longitudinally. This movement of the rod operates on the pin 48 to move the same to a vertical position thereby moving the clutch to its neutral position. It will be noted that while the automatic shifting movement of the rod and the U-shaped ele- 4), movement of the rod in either direction Twill move the clutch 38 from either of its operative positions to a neutral position. It will furthermore be noted that the change speed mechanism and the automatic stop nechanism are so combined that the latter by operating on the clutch 38 controls the feeding operation at all driving speeds. The spindle can be fed manually by means of a hand wheel on the shaft 23 and the saddle can be moved along the arm by means of a hand wheel 66 carried by the saddle and connected to a pinion engaged with a rack on the arm.

What I claim is:

1. In a drilling machine, the combination of a spindle, means including a double clutch for feeding the spindle longitudinally, a member operated in timed relation with the feeding movement of the spindle, a dog adjustable on the member, and means operate-d in a single direction by the dog for moving the clutch from either of its driving positions to a neutral position after a predetermined feeding movement of the spindle.

2. In a drilling machine, the combination of a spindle, means including a double clutch for feeding the spindle longitudinally, a clutch shifting yoke, a rock shaft for shifting the yoke and clutch, a pin mounted transversely in the shaft, a dog wheel rotated synchronously with the feeding movement of the spindle, a dog adjustable on the wheel, and means operated by the dog and adapted to engage the pin for moving the clutch from either of its driving positions to a neutral position after a'predetermined feeding movement of the spindle.

3. In a drilling machine, the combination of a spindle, means including a double clutch for feeding the spindle longitudinally, a clutch shifting yoke, a rock shaft for shifting the yoke and clutch, a pin mounted transversely in the shaft, an adjustable dog moved synchronously with the feeding movement of the spindle, a pin engaging element, and a rod secured to the element and extending to a position in the path of movement of the dog, the dog being operative after a predetermined movement of the spindle to slide the rod and engage the element with one or the other ends of the pin to move the clutch from either of its driving positions to a neutral position.

4. In a drilling machine, the combination of a spindle, a spindle feeding shaft, a pair of relatively spaced gears loose on the shaft, change speed gearing for driving each said gears at different speeds, a clutch between the gears adapted to be engaged with either gear, and means operated synchronously with the feeding movement of the spindle for automatically moving the clutch from its engagement w'th either gear to a neutral position after a predetermined feeding movement of the spindle.

5. In a drilling machine, the combination with a spindle, a spindle feeding shaft, 21 pair of relatively spaced gears loose on the shaft, a parallel shaft, means including a plurality of gears on the two shafts for drivmg each of the first said two gears at different speeds, a clutch between the gears adapted to be engaged with either gear, and means operated synchronously with the feeding movement of the spindle for automatically moving the clutch from its engagement with either gear to a neutral position after a predetermined feeding movement of the spindle.

6. In a drilling machine, the combination with a spindle, a spindle feeding shaft, a pair of relatively spaced gears loose on the shaft, a parallel shaft, a plurality of gears loose thereon, a plurality of-gears on the feed shaft meshing therewith, means including a sliding key for connecting the loose gears with their shaft for driving each of the first said two gears at different speeds, a clutch between such gears adapted to be engaged with either gear, and means operated synchronously with the feeding movement of the spindle for automatically mov ing the clutch from its engagement with either gear to a neutral position after a predetermined feeding movement of the spindle.

7. In a drilling machine, the combination of a spindle, a spindle feeding shaft, a pair of relatively spaced gears loose on the shaft, change speed gearing for driving each said gears at different speeds, a clutch between the gears adapted to be engaged with either gear, a dog wheel rotated synchronously with the feeding movement of the spindle, and an adjustable dog on the wheel for automatically moving the clutch from its ongagement with either gear to a neutral position after a predetermined feeding movement of the spindle.

8. A change speed mechanism comprising the combination of a shaft, a plurality of different sized gears each loose thereon, a gear on the shaft connected to one of said loose gears, means for connecting any one of the loose gears to the shaft, a parallel shaft, a plurality of gears loose thereon, such gears being connected together and meshing respectively with the first mentioned loose gears, a gear spaced from the connected gears and loose on the said parallel shaft and meshing with the said one gear on the first mentioned shaft, a clutch between the spaced gears, and means for shifting the clutch in either direction to engage either of such gears.

9. A change speed mechanism comprising the combination of a shaft, a plurality of different sized gears each loose thereon, a gear on one end of the shaft connected to the adjacent loose gear, sliding key means coaxial of the shaft for connecting any one of the loose gears to the shaft, 21- parallel shaft, a plurality of gears loose thereon, such gears being connected together and meshing respectively with the first mentioned loose gears, a gear spaced from the connected gears and loose on the said parallel shaft and meshing With the said one gear on the first mentioned shaft, a clutch between the spaced gears, and means for shifting the clutch in either direction to engage either of such gears.

In testimony whereof, I hereto aflix my signature.

WILLARD T. SEARS. 

